Egypt’s Health Minister not infected with COVID-19: official

CAIRO 21 May 2020: Egyptian Ministry of Health spokesperson Khaled Megahed denied social media rumors claiming that Health Minister Hala Zayed was infected with the new coronavirus COVID-19 disease.

He told Youm7 on Thursday that such rumors are groundless, affirming that the minister is in good condition.

Unverified news circulated on social media platforms claiming that the minister self-isolated.

Minister of Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Atti announced he will self-isolate at home for two weeks after he held a meeting with the Daqahlia governor who tested positive to coronavirus.

"Minister Abdel Atti and all the other people who contacted Governor Ayman Hamza have undergone a coronavirus test," stated a spokesperson for Ministry of Irrigation Mohamed el-Sebaei.

A total of 745 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Egypt, according to the Health Ministry’s Wednesday briefing, bringing the total number of cases to 14,229. This is the highest daily count recorded by the northeastern African country.

The ministry also reported 21 deaths due to the novel virus (COVID-19), bringing the death toll to 680.

Also, the test results of 4,584 people turned from positive to negative, the ministry said, including 3,994 people who totally recovered. It added that 252 patients left hospitals.